Potluck: Grand Reopening

Cedar Rapids

Back on the Map with Mucha

Compiled by Carol Bodensteiner and Mary Gottschalk

After the 2008 flood, the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library building in Cedar Rapids was moved 480 feet northwest and 11 feet up. Now it’s back on the map, not just because of the move — which was monumental — but also because of the exhibit of art by famed Czech artist Alphonse Mucha that marks the grand reopening.

The exhibit includes 230 works, the largest the Mucha Foundation has ever mounted. Mucha’s art inspires rare devotion among his fans, says Diana Baculis, museum director of marketing. “People are coming from all over to see the exhibit,” she says, noting an interesting trend among Mucha fans. “Many of them have Mucha tattoos. They arrive wanting to find the piece that matches their tattoo.”

The Mucha exhibit runs until the end of 2012. After the exhibit closes, Iowans can still find Mucha’s art in the state. The Theatre Museum of Repertoire Americana in Mount Pleasant has two Mucha posters: one created for Sarah Bernhardt’s renowned performance in Gismonda, the other of actress Lillian Carter.